Month: December 2015

In Matthew 11: 28, JESUS was talking about giving us rest. But HE made it clear that the rest HE promised can only be attained if we accept HIS yoke and burden.

What then is the yoke and what is the burden?

When two animals are yoked together, it is for the purpose of doing a defined work on the field. And for this work to be a success, both animals must agree.

In any system, there is always yoke and burden in form of laws and responsibilities. If you accept the laws (yoke) of Nigeria, the question would be what are your responsibilities in the confines of these laws? Are you fulfilling the laws as a lawyer or as a banker or engineer? What makes you a bona fide citizen or a patriot is your role in enforcing these laws according to your profession or engagements.

The same goes for our lives in CHRIST! The Law of The Spirit is what yokes us with CHRIST and the responsibilities (purpose) assigned to us in order to enforce this Law on earth are the burdens. The question every one must ask is now that I am yoked with CHRIST, what is my burden? What am I meant to carry? What am I saved to do?!

JESUS was not going to save us from the yoke and burden of pharaoh/egypt just to be dormant in HIM/Canaan. What He said was that the kind of yoke and burden HE has in mind for us in Canaan is rest compared to what pharaoh is offering in egypt.

Yoking with CHRIST and carrying HIS burden do not guarantee our rest if we are not submissive to HIM.

Since HE is the ‘Strong One’, most of the burdens would be carried by HIM so the burden is LIGHT!

Since HE is the ‘Strong One’, moving while HE is staying and staying while HE is moving would only cause damage to us (‘weak ones’). The yoke will only be EASY if we do exactly what HE does!

A shepherd as recorded in Psalm 23 had a rod and aa staff but in reality, I have never really seen a shepherd holding more than one stick. So how come HIS rod and staff comfort me when I only see one stick in HIS hand?

There goes a saying that a dog plays and disciplines its child the same set of teeth it has. Which means that the object of care is also the object of correction/punishment.

Hebrews 4:12 also explains the feature of the Word of GOD being a two-edged sword and how it divides what is GOD from what is not of GOD even though it looks right and admissible.

The Rod and The Staff are from the same Element and this Element functions based on the state of the heart of the sheep; either the element serves as an object of authority and direction for the obedient sheep or as an object of correction/punishment for the erring ones. What is rest assured is that both measures are meant for the comfort of the sheep.

The Word of GOD that comes out with authority and power is the same Word that corrects/punishes the Children whenever they err. What is most important to know is that HIS Word comes deep from HIS Heart of Love and Compassion. HIS Word spoken to us in different times is for the purpose of that ultimate comfort/rest HE had purposed for us.

HE is always hoping that we would only experience the Staff-side of HIS Word alone by simply obeying with due diligence but if we, by any means slip, HIS mercies resident in HIS Rod will nudge us back to The Way that leads to Life.

But the sheep must also know that this double-featured Element can also be a tool of judgement for those animals that have failed to see reason with the Shepherd in the Light of all HE had shown them by the same Element that will mete out their judgement.